Thursday, January 23, 2020


Eight edging scallops now done, of 14, on the final side of Gudrun’s “Hansel” hap.

Nancy in Wisconsin: getting someone else to block the hap is a good idea, and my local LYS, Kathy’s Knits, is just the sort of place to look for such a someone. But could I bear to hand my baby over to a stranger? My Personal Trainer was here this morning – not a knitter. I described the process to her and she seemed to think I was fully capable. We practised getting up from the floor.

I’ve taken the plunge and ordered Fee’s “Sweater Workshop”, the new edition, flesh and blood copy. I don’t like cookery books or knitting on the Kindle, although I make occasional exceptions for the former.

Reading

weavinfool, I think you can leave off War and Peace if you want to. We got through it as bedtime reading, but for that, soporific is what you’re looking for. We were well into Remembrance of Things Past, Scott Moncrieff translation, when my husband died. I am sure I will never pick it up again.

Rachel used to keep her books in alphabetical order by author (she was a librarian in an earlier life). When my husband and I went to stay with her, as we often did while he was fit enough, rather than take along our current book, we read Rachel’s in order, a random chapter from each in turn. If she had (as often) more than one book by a particular author, we only read a chapter from one of them, but that had to be the first book on offer. There is a note in my Filofax from 26/9/11 saying that we had done Garnett and were ready for Gaskell.

It was a remarkably satisfactory form of bedtime reading.

I am getting on reasonably well with Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini. I read it once long ago, but remember very little. It is about being Jewish in Mussolini’s Italy. The author tells us early on that the Finzi Contini’s were deported to Germany in ’43 but he hasn’t yet explained why he himself survived.

7 comments:

  1. Blocking is very gymnastic-y, I agree! I have a few knitting books on Kindle and you're right, they aren't as fun.
    I'm reading I Live Again: A Memoir of Ileana. She was Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria. She became a nun after she raised her six children. Fascinating.
    I love the bedtime reading ritual you two undertook when visiting Rachel.

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  2. There was a movie based upon the book - called The Garden of the Finzi Continis in the early 70s. I never screwed up the courage to see it. Shame on me.

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    1. It was very good - saw it in London when first out. You may be able to find it somewhere on line.

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  3. I wonder whether you have considered using the spare bed as your blocking mat, so that you don't have to get right down on to the floor? It can be awfully hard on the knees once you are there.

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  4. What about a pair of strap on kneepads like carpet layers and tilers use? Your local hardware store might be able to suggest something.

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  5. I have a couple of items to block and I’ve been putting it off. All that pinning is so tedious, although I do love the magical outcome. I have never seen the newer version of the sweater workshop. Do look at the Japanese yarn cocoon - I taught myself to do it from the instructions and still amaze people with it. A bit of a party trick.

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    1. I have searched and been rewarded with types of yarn and items made by Japanese people. So, what is the Japanese yarn cocoon?

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